I left Tahoe City early in the morning. My plan was to get home by the fastest route possible, which should take about six days, divided into 6-7-hour days. The route was simple: 15 miles to Truckee, hop on I-80 to Chicago, then I-90 home.
Tahoe City to Salt Lake City
Driving east across Nevada, snow-capped mountains always seemed to be in the distance. It was easy to find a scenic spot for lunch near Battle Mountain.
As I approached Salt Lake City, I saw several areas with visible salt deposits that clarified where the name came from. Some spots even had giant white piles of what I assume was salt. Just west of Salt Lake City is a town called Wendover, where I spent the night in an RV park. Michael describes the town as a sort of Sodom and Gomorrah where you have a last chance to exercise your vice before getting to Salt Lake City. I just stayed in the van.
The next morning, I drove through what must have been the Great Salt Lake. With water on both sides almost as far as you could see, it felt like I was literally driving through the lake.
Salt Lake City to Cheyenne
I didn’t realize it at first, but I was following the California part of the California-Oregon Trail for a fairly long stretch. There were so many times on this trip when I couldn’t help but think about the pioneer families and settlers who came through as they boldly made their way west after giving up everything in the hopes of reaching a new promised land.
Just outside of Salt Lake City is Echo Canyon, Echo Canyon, Echo Canyon… All across Utah and Wyoming, incredible rock formations highlight the geology of millions of years.
When I got to Cheyenne, it was cold and rainy, and I thought I would stay in the historic Plains Hotel, where the Kennedys and Buffalo Bill had stayed, and Hemingway supposedly spent his fourth honeymoon. However, with the weather the way it was and the thought of carrying a bag back and forth to the hotel, I opted to pull up to a Walmart to spend the night. One significant aspect of the van is that I don’t even have to step outside to make dinner, watch a movie, go to bed, and get up in the morning to hit the road.
Cheyenne to Omaha
This stretch was the worst weather of the entire trip, with snow, hail, fog, slush, and rain coming down most of the way. I found it interesting that I-80 through Nevada, Wyoming, and Nebraska closely follows nearly 1,500 miles of one of the longest stretches of Pony Express trail. It’s also through here where I saw some of the longest trains I’ve ever seen. Progress, I suppose.
Omaha to South Bend
Along the road in Nebraska, I saw a dozen or more of these big white cylinders with the word “Paulsen” lettered on the side, which I initially thought might be giant tipped-over milk bottle advertisements. After doing some research, however, I discovered they were cement truck drums that were probably abandoned because the cement had hardened in the drum as they built the road. So instead of recovering them, they just left them and turned them into advertising for the Paulsen Cement Company.
Across Iowa, hundreds, probably thousands, of windmills were generating electricity in places where there wasn’t any. Iowa is the top corn-producing state in the U.S., so most, if not all, of the power likely went to support massive farm operations.
As I approached Chicago and considered how much further I had to get back home to Boston, I remembered some early Navy days when a few of us would pile into a car and drive straight through from North Chicago to Northern New York just for a weekend adventure. We were young.
Before stopping for the night, I wanted to make one more time zone, so I decided to stop at the next rest area past South Bend, Indiana, so that I could head out first thing in the morning. That was a mistake; it turned out to be a really noisy and restless area. I spent the night there anyway, but didn’t get much sleep.
South Bend to Buffalo
I was making great time on this next stretch, so I made a quick stop in Cleveland at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Inside are six floors of memorabilia and stories covering the history of Rock and Roll. I should have known better than to think I could see all I wanted with a quick visit. I only made it through the first floor.
That night, I made it to Buffalo before finding a friendly little Harvest Host-sponsored Brewery, where I parked for the night. The name Rusty Nickel gave me pause to wonder: Do nickels rust?
Buffalo to Home
A certain energy, a pull, happens when I get near Syracuse. I’m sure some of it comes from the friends and relatives who now or once lived there, but there’s another pull that, if I’m passing through, has to include a visit to the Brooklyn Pickle Deli and Geddes Bakery. They’re just that good.
When I hit the border of Massachusetts, I let out a whoop and a shriek to let the world know I did it. Too bad no one could hear me but damn, it felt accomplished.
Home
Ultimately, this trip gave me a newfound love and respect for this fantastic country. We have everything and more. As I travelled a massive loop, going south and returning from the north, there were desolate stretches of nothingness, huge mountains, millennial geology, and great cities. I passed through our historical backbone as I drove through the expansive farms of the Midwest, went through parts of Texas that were once Mexico, made my way across Death Valley, followed the Oregon-California trail used by the boldest of individuals once headed west to seek their fortunes, drove across where the Pony Express once rode, and followed the Erie Canal across New York. I saw the bedrock of our country both literally and figuratively.
So, what’s left to say about this incredible journey? I’ve missed or left out many experiences, yet it feels like some of them have already found a comfy corner of my soul. I’m optimistic about the future of our country. We’re still young and perhaps going through an adolescent phase, but I’m sure we’ll get past this like we have other turbulent times. I worry more about the planet.
No responses yet